If you’ve ever sent anything through parcel carriers, you know how easily they can damage goods on a trip. Now take this up to a much larger scale… Can you imagine the damage that can occur with your products during international shipping between an overseas manufacturing facility and your home distribution center? While no one wants to deal with lost or damaged custom products, it’s incredibly important that companies prepare for this. Knowing what you can do to minimize the damage – and who has to pay in the event of that damage occurring – is the best way to protect your budget.
Expect the Expected
The true fact of the matter is that you should expect some sort of damage when shipping from overseas. There are numerous causes of damage on the water and in the air, many of which are outside of the shipper’s control. Issues like rough weather can cause turbulence or unsafe conditions on a ship’s deck, and the odds of damaged goods in transit will go up accordingly. Furthermore, issues like rough handling from third parties or packing problems might also lead to damage, making it difficult to correctly apportion the blame.
Make Sure to Insure Your Products
If your goods sustain damage in transit, the first stop is usually your shipping insurance. You should always get some form of insurance on your products when shipping from your overseas manufacturing facility. Use a marine insurance if by water, or the carrier insurance that they provide if by air. This insurance will generally pay for any issues that are the fault of either the carrier or through unforeseen circumstances. Unfortunately, if poor packaging or unclear labeling caused these problems, it’s very unlikely that you’ll be able to recover anything, even with insurance.
Get Help with Finding a Good Shipper
Therefore, it’s more important that you ensure that your offshore facility properly packages your products for the trip. Also, you’ll want to make sure that you budget for proper shipping procedures. Cutting corners, consequently, will eventually lead to a reduction in inventory. So, work with a shipper that you can trust, even if it costs a bit more. Doing so will help ensure that they handle your goods properly, while also reducing concerns over inventory shrinkage during transit. This, coupled with good insurance, will ultimately help to reduce the costs related to losing goods in shipping.
Learn These Product Shipping Tips from a Reliable Manufacturing Liaison
Always be prepared for problems with shipping. Overseas product manufacturing will always have issues associated with it. So, you can make your life a great deal easier if you simply plan ahead. Manufacturing liaison companies like ITI Manufacturing can help ensure product packaging and preparation so that items ship correctly. Also, we help our US-based companies purchase the right kind of insurance before the offshore factories send out their products. You may not always be able to recover that which is lost or damaged, but the proper preparation can help you to cut your losses. Eventually, you can look forward to more consistent success during the shipping process.
Here at ITI, we’re committed to helping you ship your goods in the most proper means. From packaging and shipping procedures down to insuring your products, we can assist during every step. Contact us today for more information, or call us toll-free at (281) 242-7030.
